The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-11-10

sus Startling EHscts Ars Producsd-Rs.
ality Coming 10 the Front Rapidly.
rcepyrigAssd. iss7.l
The property-room in . theatre % .
theatrical sepulchre. Buried In dust and
stage debris are mementoes Of histrionic
grandeur. A warriors helmet ID crowded
by three-leggcd stool; the figure Of .
proud god, whose presence shed lustre
on the perspective of "pleached alley"
10 degraded by the oppression Of big
old candlestick that hangs across his
breast; the soft-toned mandolin (the fell
low in the orchestra was making the
music), whose notes, a. they waited into
life under the gentle touch Of the fair
player, wooed back her recresnt lover,
hangs on the wall . veritable "fake."
It never had any strings, nor had
its companion. the crazy-looking
violin. With dented sides and lone.
some looks, vessels of golden hue are
piled in one corner beside lot Of rag
carpet. Here 10 stack Of muskets, not
one Of which was fired In . century, II
appearances 60 for anything; there is an
ink-wcll that never was blackened with
writing fluid, and pen used to sign
death warrants and marriage certificates,
that had its point blunted in inditing
signatures that never showed on paper (;
there are huge ledgers and pretentiously
sealed packages, with never line in
A ah To- ah
is seen the mechanical mimicry of the
objects Of real life.
The property-msn is an artist in his
way and in these days Of stage realism
as essential to the success Of play as
the author himself. Gone are the times
when table and few chairs were all he
had to "set" In scene. This age de-
mands that he be a skilled mechanic, able
to manipulate the stage substitute for
wood and minerals, papier mache, SO that
his talent will produce anything from q
strawberry to an armored knight or the
skull used in the grave-digger's scene in
Hamlet" As result his worth to the
stage has been elevated; and when he
reaches such attitudes of success as those
of his kind whose works have been seen
in the American Opera Company's pos
session, his salary climbs up into high.
priced figures. Though he borrows house
hold effects and commonplace things that
can be readily obtained, he manufactures
much. In the banquet scene of
Macbeth" which is often represented
with fully 100 persons before the audi
ence, the shining tankards, brilliant
cups. luscious-looking aggregations Of
fruits, even the fowl, ore made of this
unique paper. Who has ever gazed on
the immense cannons, the life. like horses,
the warlike. accoutrements in the battle
scene Of "Henry "" and was not i'm
pressed with their faithfulness to the
reale Yet the admiring spectator would
laugh himself tired II he saw the ''prop-
erty" boy pick up horse with one
hand, put q cannon under his opposite
arm and walk of complacently after the
curtain went down.
The hankering Of the property-man
SITTER imitation has originated many in.
teresting effects by novel methods. Sew.
Oral times in the American drama, "Held
by the Enemy" there is occasion to feign
the sound Of horses hoofs moving
rapidly on hard road, as If the animal
was carrying his rider at deep gallop.
This noise is counterfeited by patent
wooden clapper, slapped on marble
operator, using both hands, can moderate
us he chooses the steps of the supposed
horse, from apparently q long dis
tance to just outside the scene, with
startling vividness. The ingenuity of the
"property-man" comes to the front
again In drinking and eating scenes,
when the manager Of the theatre
has to furnish the viands. As substi-
tute for tea, wine, whiskey or brandy, he
serves to the actors water col0red with q
piece Of toasted bread to suit the shade
0f the desired liquid and then strained.
This, by the way, is not device Of mod
ern times. It comes from the days of
Shakespeare, according to stage tradition.
Sometimes ginger ale, cider or tea is
used, but these are not favored generally
because they will not suit all tastes. To
one actor the ale 10 too pungent, to
another the cider is sour, while q third
may not be able to take tea without milk,
which, Of course, could not be used
without impairing the color of the drink.
So toast-water has been accepted as the
regular thing agreeable to every palate.
There are managers Of companies and
stars who will have the genuine article
itself, and in that case provide it at their
own expense. Clara Morris and Fanny
Davenport do this. When Emma Abbott
sings "Girofle- -Girofla" she has bottle of
Mumm's extra dry to uncork as she be-
gins the gem Of the opera, "See How 1t
Sparkles." "Trip Van Winkle" Jefferson
swallows whiskey straight when he
Smiles" to the health Of the other char
acters at the end Of the comedy and re-
marks, "This one don't count" In the
memorable representation Of Gold
smiths "She Stoops to Conquer" years
ago, John Gilbert, Lester Wallack and
Harry Montague were in the cast They
used in the tapr0om scene an English
tankard filled with Bass ale.
Occasionally stage realism asserts
itself and DEGREES that only legitimate ac-